Moments
by Masquerading as Quality
Summary: What is life but a series of moments? These are a few moments that make up the relationship between Regina and Maleficent. Femmeslash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Happy Femmeslash February! My current intention is for this to be 4 or 5 chapters. Feedback would be much appreciated!

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"I found that spell you were talking about. What is your interest in it, if I may ask?"

Regina doesn't respond. She's barely even listening.

"It would be a careless way to off someone, if that's what you're thinking."

A long silence follows, filled only by the muted sound of waves crashing against the shore.

"How do you like your tea?" Her expression does not change, but there's a twinkle in her eye. Her mind is always working away at something. There's nothing she loves more than a complicated scheme, and she never met an ulterior motive she could not uncover.

But this is something Regina realized a long time ago. What she has only recently begun to notice are things like the fullness of her lips, her slender, elegant hands, and the rare flash of her ankle from beneath her long, flowing dresses. Regina wonders what it would be like to run her hands all the way up those long, long legs.

She doesn't know what to make of that.

She doesn't remember exactly when these thoughts began creeping into her mind, keeping her from sleep and invading her dreams. Once she finally accepted that Daniel was dead and that there was no way to bring him back, she'd sworn that she'd never love again. It hadn't seemed like a difficult decision at the time. The only men in her life were loathsome, and she was married to the worst of them all.

But then not long ago, late at night after Leopold had left her alone and she had drawn herself a bath, her mind conjured up images of the sorceress she'd met once on her way out of Rumpelstiltskin's manor, the woman with whom she'd formed an uneasy camaraderie and, strangely, the only person in her life who did not seem to be constantly trying to manipulate her.

At first she hated herself for those thoughts. They were a disgrace to Daniel's memory. What was more, she had never had such intimate thoughts about him. Their relationship had been innocent out of necessity, and Regina had been very much a virgin on her wedding night. Thinking about her friend in this way confused and frightened her. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, they always came back more vivid than before.

"Regina," Maleficent says in the present, and Regina snaps to attention. She realizes she has been staring at Maleficent's lips and hopes that the hotness she feels on her cheeks is not manifesting itself in a telling blush. "Is something on your mind?" Maleficent's expression remains neutral, but the tone of her voice suggests that she knows she's onto something.

What terrifies Regina most is not the implications of her own sexuality. It doesn't matter if she is bisexual or a lesbian or just having confusing thoughts or anything else because she is married to the king and that is that. Regina is terrified because she knows that Maleficent will figure out her secret eventually, and she is not making it very difficult at all. Really, she thinks her only saving grace so far has been that Maleficent is one of those exceptionally clever people who think so hard about any given unknown that they overlook the most obvious answer.

Though Regina certainly trusts Maleficent more than most of the other people in her life, she is acutely aware of the imbalance present in their relationship. Maleficent knows a lot about Regina-probably much more than Regina has ever told her-and Regina knows very little about Maleficent. That is to say, she has no idea how Maleficent will react when she inevitably learns Regina's secret.

"Nothing more than usual," Regina replies quietly. Her mouth is dry and her hands are sweaty.

Maleficent puts down her tea and leans forward slightly. "Do you think you're going to get away with lying to me?"

Regina averts her eyes. "A girl can dream."

"So," Regina is staring at her hands, but she can hear the triumphant smirk in Maleficent's voice. "Are you going to spill or did you go to the trouble of visiting me to sit in awkward silence?"

Regina considers how she ought to proceed. She would like to skirt the issue or talk about one of the many other things weighing on her mind, but she reminds herself that she'd always known Maleficent would find her out. Perhaps it would be least embarrassing to get it over with quickly.

"Have you ever had...thoughts...about another woman?" Regina asks, head still bowed.

Maleficent chuckles softly. "Sometimes I forget how young you are," she remarks. "I've had more than thoughts, darling."

Regina looks up, eyes wide. Maleficent tilts her head and quirks one eyebrow in a silent question.

"But don't you feel...I don't know...guilty? Or wrong?"

"This coming from the woman who is plotting to kill her husband and step-daughter?"

Regina frowns, "That's not the same thing at all."

"No, it isn't. But there are people who think it is. Someone is always going to judge you for something. Why not simply do what you want to do instead of worrying about something as relatively harmless as whom you want to sleep with?"

"I didn't say-"

"You didn't have to say, my sweet, and frankly, I could have guessed with far fewer clues," Maleficent replies. Her words are crisp, but her voice is not unkind. "Really, for living the life you do I would have expected better."

Regina smiles sheepishly and tries to confine the signs of her nerves to the wringing of her hands under the tea table, but of course Maleficent notices that, too.

Regina looks down at the hand Maleficent has placed over her own. The way her long, slender fingers curl around Regina's clasped hands is strangely captivating. Regina's hands are mostly palm with small fingers, and they are always warm. Maleficent's hand is almost uncomfortably cold and it sends a shiver down Regina's spine. Regina unclasps her hands and takes Maleficent's hand between them.

"Are your hands always so cold?" Regina murmurs.

"Are yours always so warm?" Maleficent counters.

Regina dares to glance up into Maleficent's eyes. Maleficent is smiling subtly. With her free hand, she waves away the tea table between them.

Regina stands. Maleficent follows Regina's lead and stands, too, but she does nothing else. Regina moves closer, eyes downcast and half-closed. She feels Maleficent's other hand resting lightly upon her waist and it makes her shiver.

Still clasping Maleficent's hand, Regina moves even closer and raises her head enough that she can see Maleficent's jaw in the narrow line of vision she has created for herself. She wants to look up, but she is far too nervous. Instead she leans her head ever closer, painstakingly slowly, until she can feel Maleficent's breath on her cheek. Maleficent leans down slightly so that their lips are on the same plane.

Regina closes the distance between them and she feels a jolt of pleasure running through her entire body. It surprises her so much that she pulls away to gasp. She still can't bring herself to look up into Maleficent's eyes. She slowly manages to let go of Maleficent's hand and places her hands instead on Maleficent's shoulders to steady herself. Maleficent caresses Regina's cheek lightly, then threads her fingers into Regina's hair. Her hand finds a resting place at the nape of Regina's neck and she gently pulls her into another kiss, this one even more thrilling than the first.

Regina twists one of Maleficent's perfect curls between her fingers. After a little longer she holds Maleficent's face, and at some point—possibly related to the point at which Maleficent's tongue brushes against hers—she dares to run her hands down the sides of Maleficent's body and pull her closer.

Maleficent breaks off the kiss and nudges Regina's head to the side so she has a clear shot at her neck. A small whimper escapes Regina's lips and she feels Maleficent's smile against her shoulder.

She isn't sure why, but she feels the need to speak her thoughts. "I was so…" she gasps "…worried…that you were going to…find out…"

She shudders as she feels Maleficent's lips just below her earlobe. "Yes, that would have been horrible," she murmurs into Regina's ear. She takes one of Regina's hands and places her other hand on the small of Regina's back, leading her gracefully, as though in a dance, her lips never more than a breath away from Regina's ear.

Maleficent's bed does not surprise Regina—it fits with her character. It is covered by a dark canopy and all of the bedclothes are Maleficent's signature shade of deep purple. Continuing their dance, Maleficent twirls Regina around under her arm and catches her by the hips. She presses her lips gently against Regina's as she backs her into the bed with slow, almost rhythmic steps. Regina feels the tingle of magic at her back and realizes that Maleficent has unlaced the bodice of her dress. She breaks their kiss long enough to whisper, "May I?" but of course she already knows the answer before Regina nods and feels her clothes begin to fall away from her body. Her eyes follow her dress as it sinks to the floor and she quickly sets about trying to mimic Maleficent's spell.

After a moment of fumbling, she succeeds and peels the dress away, revealing Maleficent's long neck, pronounced collarbones, and small, shapely breasts. Regina bites her lip and averts her attention to Maleficent's dress as it slips down her body to join her own on the floor. She thinks she might have stayed that way, staring at the floor, for some time longer if the sight of Maleficent's bare legs had not caught her attention. They are longer and leaner and lovelier than Regina could ever have imagined and Regina cannot help but rake her eyes luxuriously over them, almost subconsciously reaching out to pull Maleficent against her.

The feeling of flesh against flesh-of Maleficent's breasts and hips and stomach and thighs against hers-is almost too much to bear. Regina is trembling by the time Maleficent pushes her gently back onto the bed.

She's never had an orgasm quite like the one that follows. When the world has finally stopped spinning, she tries to return the favour and imitate what Maleficent has just done for her, but Maleficent catches her hands and pins them to the bed, kissing her soundly before she whispers, "Another time. The sun will be setting soon."

That night, when Leopold has gone to sleep and Regina has scrubbed herself clean, images of Maleficent begin flashing through her mind, now composed of accurate memories complete with the feel and the smell and the taste of her skin, and impossible to ignore. When she drifts off to sleep, she feels something remarkably akin to contentment, and for once her happiness does not come from thoughts of revenge.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I don't think this warrants a formal warning, but it does get a little twisted, soooo I guess this is your warning. Your readership and feedback are and would be much appreciated!

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There was a time when Regina wore her heart on her sleeve. Maleficent couldn't imagine how Regina had kept a secret romance from her mother. It was all there in her eyes when she was lying. Someone like Maleficent, who was accustomed to lies, could read Regina's eyes like printed words.

Now Maleficent finds herself missing that time, for she could not have anticipated how quickly Regina would change, how quickly she would learn to be the best liar Maleficent has ever known. She doesn't even remember when the change occurred. One day Regina came to visit and then the next day it was the Queen. Everything was affected, everything was part of her character, part of the show, and Maleficent felt a wave of inexplicable sadness wash over her upon realizing her loss.

Maleficent sees much of her own influence upon Regina. No longer the zealous, idealistic youth who would sooner face her enemies head-on than anything, Regina has become a quiet schemer. In anyone else, it wouldn't bother Maleficent-indeed, she would welcome it. In Regina, it is unnerving.

Maleficent has learned not to put too much thought into what brings Regina to her castle on any given day. A sad, desperate little corner of her heart still longs for the frightened young woman she met years ago, the one whose body the frightening Queen still inhabits, and if Maleficent thinks about how Regina has come to visit her to celebrate a personal victory or to blow off steam after a defeat, she starts to feel ever so slightly ill.

"How did you manage to get away?" Maleficent asks her this evening, for news of a deceased king travels quickly, even all the way out here in the middle of nowhere.

"No one questions the motives of a grieving widow," Regina replies with a chilling grin.

"I suppose I should congratulate you," says Maleficent, but she isn't feeling very gregarious.

Regina's smile turns into something like a grimace. "I rather hoped you would, but it seems you have other things on your mind."

This is true enough. Maleficent has been wondering since she received word of the king's passing exactly how dependent her fate is upon who she is. If she were a noblewoman, if she were fully human, if she had no reputation of a merciless crusade against a young princess, even if she were a man, would these things make a difference? Or would Regina still slink away to meet her in secret like the fallen woman that she is? The number of variables which most obviously prevent their relationship from being anything more than what it is all but plague Maleficent, because she knows that they mean nothing. Far more likely than the dozens of circumstantial obstacles between them is the simple, yet impossibly painful fact that Regina does not love her back.

"Tell me, Regina, what will you do once you've killed your step-daughter, as well? Sit up in your spiky castle all alone and admire the scenery?"

Regina raises one eyebrow. "I never see you doing much else."

"I admit I did choose this castle for the view."

"Are you really questioning my plans?" Regina asks her, approaching with the little switch in her walk that says she has already won this argument. "You, who have never successfully enacted your revenge? Are you going to suddenly take some noble standpoint to cover up for your defeat? 'Oh, revenge will only leave you empty inside!' I must say I thought you better than that, Maleficent."

Maleficent sneers in response. "Don't get all excited, Regina; I haven't been defeated."

"Not yet," says Regina, slinking ever closer. "But you will be, and you know it."

"My prey is under a Sleeping Curse and her True Love will never be found. Yours is beloved by the whole kingdom, and her True Love could be anywhere! Who here is closer to victory?"

Regina laughs, but it isn't her real laugh. Maleficent is reminded that she is speaking with the Queen, not Regina. "At what cost, Maleficent? You are disgraced! You are banished from your homeland! When I am finished with Snow White, the kingdom will love me still more."

"What, so in your ideal world, you get to reign over a kingdom which silently mourns the loss of the fairest of them all?"

Regina's cool resolve snaps and she slaps Maleficent, but Maleficent, unsurprised, catches her wrist and smirks.

"Congratulations on your victory, Regina," she says silkily with a yank on Regina's wrist that brings her less than a breath away. Regina teeters on her high heels and Maleficent catches her around the waist to support her.

"You horrid bitch," Regina snarls.

"Are you saying you're any better?"

"I loathe you."

Though the words sting, Maleficent smiles and pulls Regina's body flush against hers. "Then why are you here?"

Regina lets out a small, but satisfying gasp. "You know why," she whispers, eyes half-closed.

Maleficent lets go of Regina's wrist and cups her cheek. "Give me one good reason I should take you to bed instead of wringing your lovely little neck."

Regina's dark brown eyes flutter open to meet Maleficent's and a small, genuine smile tugs at the corner of her lips. She threads her fingers through the curls of Maleficent's hair and pulls her roughly into a deep kiss that leaves Maleficent feeling ever so slightly weak in the knees. When she pulls away, Maleficent is gasping for air and Regina is smiling triumphantly. "Because you want me," she replies. "Though I suppose there's no reason you can't do both."

"A darker fetish than I expected of you, Regina," Maleficent murmurs, tracing her fingers down the smooth skin of Regina's neck as her mind toys with the idea. "Wasn't the King just recently bitten in the neck by some kind of rare snake?"

Regina giggles gleefully at the mention of her husband's recent death, which is frankly just as chilling as it is alluring. "And yet it seems you're a step ahead of me, for I didn't say anything about biting." Her fingers curl around Maleficent's upper arms and she walks backward in the direction of Maleficent's bedchamber with sure steps, pulling Maleficent along with her.

"Perhaps you ought to tread more carefully, darling, lest you awaken the dragon in me."

"Perhaps that was my aim all along," Regina counters, and Maleficent feels the tingling sensation of magic as her dress begins to slide off of her body. "I've been meaning to ask you to teach me how to do that."

Maleficent chuckles lightly, "Why would I give away the secret to my signature move? I think you ought to start with something a bit more your speed. Like a rat."

Regina swings Maleficent around and onto her bed with a gust of colourful magic, and she soon follows, pouncing like a wild cat.

"Or perhaps a kitten," she amends before Regina's lips descend upon her own. She wraps her arms around Regina's waist and tries to magically rid her of her clothes, but Regina stops her.

"No, no," she murmurs, grabbing Maleficent's hands and pinning them above her head. "I've got to punish you for being so cruel to me earlier."

"Aww," Maleficent coos, "did I hurt your feelings?"

Regina slaps her again, but it excites her far more than it stings. Using her legs for leverage, Maleficent flips them over so that she is the one pinning Regina down, and Regina lets out a small yelp of surprise. Maleficent smirks at her before swooping down to plant a kiss upon her favourite spot on Regina's neck, the one which, without fail, elicits a delightful whimper

Maleficent feels Regina trying to push back, but it's no use now that Maleficent is prepared for her. She communicates this message by sucking upon the skin of Regina's neck and drawing it gently between her teeth. Regina's sharp intake of air and the way her fingers lace themselves with Maleficent's serve as sufficient reply. Just to ascertain that her message is crystal clear, however, Maleficent frees one of her hands and rests it upon Regina's throat. She doesn't squeeze very hard, but Regina lets out a strangled groan and wraps one leg around Maleficent's waist.

Maleficent releases her hold on Regina's throat and traces her fingers lightly over the exposed part of her breast, toying with the low-cut collar of her dress as she gently kisses the little bruise she's left with her mouth. With renewed fervor, Regina pushes against Maleficent until they flip again, and the fire in her eyes as she rakes them over Maleficent's nakedness makes her shiver.

Regina smirks and lets go of Maleficent's hand, then slides down off of the bed and onto her knees, between Maleficent's legs. She runs her fingers slowly along the inside of Maleficent's right thigh, then the left, then she ducks her head and lightly kisses Maleficent's inner thigh, starting just above the inside of her knee and trailing slowly upward.

Maleficent struggles not to squirm and she grabs fistfuls of the bedclothes to steady herself. Suddenly, though, Regina sucks in sharply, drawing the tender flesh of Maleficent's thigh between her teeth, and Maleficent cries out in surprise. The sensation is so intense it's almost painful. She reaches down and grabs a fistful of Regina's hair instead, but this only encourages her to continue.

An eternity seems to pass before Regina relents and she backs away just enough to admire her handiwork. Maleficent finds herself entranced by the texture of Regina's hair—some of it is impossibly soft and silky, while some of it is crispy from the intricate hairstyle which fell away at some point. Mimicing Maleficent's previous action, Regina places a light kiss upon the bruise she has created and then, with no forewarning, grabs Maleficent roughly by the hips and wrenches her against her lips.

Maleficent quickly finds that she has had enough of being caught by surprise and wriggles away from Regina's grasp. She kicks her onto the floor and quickly slides down after her to hold her in such a way that she won't easily regain the upper hand. One she has arranged herself to her liking, she leans down to kiss Regina, who bites her lip. Maleficent gasps and pulls away, but Regina is grinning fiendishly.

"You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" she mutters, curling her lip, but this only causes Regina's smile to widen. At last Maleficent rids Regina of her clothes, and in retribution for her throbbing lower lip, she rakes her fingernails—perhaps a bit less than gently—over Regina's newly exposed breasts, stomach, and hipbones, and she delights in Regina's hiss as she grasps Maleficent's shoulders. After a second, little reddish lines appear all across Regina's perfect skin and Maleficent smiles in satisfaction at the sight.

As she thrusts two fingers into Regina, Regina moans and digs her nails into Maleficent's back and drags them downward, likely returning the favour of scarring tenfold. It isn't long at all before Regina's body contracts almost violently. Her eyes squeeze closed and two or four tears stream down her cheeks, but she is far from subdued. She shoves Maleficent's shoulders so that she falls back onto her knees. Regina is a little unsteady, but she gets onto her knees as well and in one fluid motion wraps one arm around Maleficent's waist and thrusts the other hand between Maleficent's legs.

Evidently Regina is not satisfied with this position, for after a few moments of what could comparatively be considered gentleness, Regina pushes Maleficent down onto the floor on her back without ever removing her fingers from in between Maleficent's legs. With her free hand, she grasps Maleficent's throat and bears down with a ferocity which causes Maleficent the first small flicker of fear she has felt in ages.

Of course Regina sees it in her eyes and she responds with a wicked smirk. "Now," she whispers giddily, "who did you say was the fairest of them all?"

"Vain—petty hag—" Maleficent rasps, but Regina's hold upon her throat grows stronger. "You are!" she concedes, though she isn't certain the words are understandable. The pleasure from Regina's fingers moving inside of her combined with the pain of Regina's fingers wrapped around her neck are causing her head to spin.

Regina loosens her grip upon Maleficent's throat, but only slightly. "You're going to have to do better than that, my dear," she says sweetly, and the edges of Maleficent's vision are beginning to blur and she isn't certain if it's because she is blacking out or having an orgasm or both.

"Thou, O Queen," she chokes out as the world blurs into nothingness and her body begins to tremble uncontrollably, "art fairest of them all!"

They curl up together on the floor for some time, each tracing the scars she's left on the other's body and avoiding eye contact. Perhaps they fall asleep—Maleficent can't be certain. At some point Regina has huddled herself up against Maleficent's side, resting her head beneath Maleficent's chin. Maleficent smiles in spite of herself and strokes Regina's hair, and Regina rewards her with a contented hum which she feels vibrating against her heart.

"Regina?"

"Mhm?"

"I didn't mean what I said earlier," says Maleficent quietly. "You truly are the fairest of them all. Anyone who thinks otherwise is mad."

Regina does not respond. She wraps her arms around Maleficent's waist and squeezes her lightly. A few minutes later, though, Maleficent feels Regina's body jolt ever so slightly. This is closely followed by a teardrop upon Maleficent's chest. Regina weeps silently for several minutes. Maleficent says nothing, but continues to stroke Regina's hair and leans down to place a kiss on her forehead.

After another long silence, Regina whispers, "Maleficent?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't mean what I said, either. I don't hate you."

Maleficent smiles. "I know," she replies.

_But you don't love me, either._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Rating is changing to M. Not that it wasn't probably M already. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and I hope that you will continue to read and to share your thoughts!

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Regina is here to end this.

She is going to end whatever this is between them, because she doesn't need it anymore. She has her Huntsman now. She doesn't need this.

And the Huntsman is such a gentle lover. At least by comparison. There's no biting or scratching or clawing or choking, and he doesn't have any magic. He lets her have control without a fight. He lets her do whatever she wants. She hasn't given him much of a choice in the matter.

Their arrangement is ideal. She could never in a million years feel anything for him other than the basest of attractions, for she knows he isn't real. She's created him, trapped him and taught him what to do to avoid her wrath. Maleficent would never allow that. Maleficent likes to be in control just as much as Regina does, probably for the same reason. When you're in control, it becomes extremely difficult for the other person to hurt you.

She finds Maleficent sitting atop her throne as usual, doing nothing in particular. She wonders idly what it is about Maleficent that she finds so irresistible, for she is nothing like any of the men Regina has found desirable, nor is she much like a man at all. She is long and lean, but with very womanly curves. She takes immaculate care of her body and she loves to style her long, blonde hair into perfect little ringlets that defy the laws of nature. There isn't another hair to be found anywhere but on her head. Her entire body is impossibly smooth, and though she is somewhat muscular, she is also soft. She is nothing like a man.

"You look like a mass murderer when you sit staring at nothing that way," says Regina by way of greeting.

"That is the overall effect I'm going for," Maleficent responds coolly. "What brings you to my humble abode today, Your Majesty? I haven't heard any news of Snow White's tragic passing. Are you frustrated or simply bored?"

Regina approaches slowly. "I hired a huntsman to carve out her heart and bring it back to me, but it appears I chose the only huntsman in the land who was unfit for such a task. He tried to fool me with the heart of a pig and brought back nothing from Snow but a note full of her most heartfelt apologies."

"How dreadfully disgusting," Maleficent replies, rising. Regina thinks the Queen of her former kingdom might have tried the same trick on her once—empty apologies. "How did you compensate him for his efforts?"

"I took his heart, instead, and I've kept him on as a personal assistant. He is…" she pauses and smiles wickedly "…very handsome, if perhaps not good for any other purpose."

The only sign that Maleficent has understood is the brief flicker of _something_ that crosses her eyes, but her expression remains cold and neutral as always, and as soon as the something is there, it is gone. "You know, Regina, sometimes I wonder whether you come all the way out here simply to hear me congratulate you. It seems a bit excessive."

Regina feels a sick, twisting sensation in her stomach and she steels herself against it before she speaks the words she's come to deliver. "I've come all the way out here," she says and finds to her surprise that a lump is forming in her throat, "to say goodbye, in a way. I don't believe I'll be able to visit you very often anymore, since your purpose in my life has been reassigned to someone a bit closer to home."

Maleficent's expression still does not change, but Regina can see her mind working at lightning speed. She responds almost without missing a beat. "And a bit easier to bend to your will, I'd say."

"Holding someone's heart in your hands does have that effect."

"That's rather twisted, you know, threatening to kill him if he doesn't continue to sleep with you."

"Are you actually trying to take some kind of moral high ground with me?"

"All I'm saying, Regina, is that a woman like you could have anyone she wanted without having to rip out someone's heart."

"Clearly that isn't true," Regina snaps.

Maleficent raises her eyebrows. "Are you saying you offered before you went all crazy bitch on him?"

Regina's lip curls. "I am saying, you disdainful harpy, that the huntsman showed no interest in me during our first meeting, and had already defied my orders by our second."

"So find another huntsman," Maleficent suggests with a shrug. "You really want to fuck someone who spared Snow White against your orders?"

"What's the matter with you?" Regina narrows her eyes. "Are you jealous? Did I hurt your delicate little feelings?"

Maleficent remains aloof. "Are you so blinded by your pain that you'd sooner believe that than my rational argument?"

"The only pain in my life was caused by Snow White."

"I beg you, spare me the villain speech. What about your mother and all that mess with your first love? You studied under Rumpelstiltskin, for Hell's sake—everything he touches turns to shit."

"Don't project your own failures onto me!"

"There you go again!" Maleficent shakes her head. "Since when have I failed? Your prey is now running about the countryside somewhere, and to comfort yourself, instead of going to the negligible trouble of batting your pretty eyelashes and finding a willing companion on whom to take out your frustrations, you ripped out the heart of some lowly huntsman! You're going off the fucking deep end, Regina!"

"Lowly!" Regina cries, throwing her hands up. "This coming from you, O Mistress of All Antisocial Pariahs! At least that lowly Huntsman is—"

"What? A man?"

A deadly silence follows.

"Say it," Maleficent commands icily. Slowly, deliberately, she closes the distance between them. When they are barefoot, she is considerably taller than Regina. Regina usually wears heels high enough to close the gap, but even now, when they are more or less on eye level with one another, Maleficent seems somehow to loom over her. "Say it," she hisses, long-fingered hands reaching up to caress Regina's face.

She doesn't need this. She has the Huntsman, who would never dare challenge her. He is pleasantly tall, but he does not loom, he simply is. He does not touch her unless she tells him to, and that is the way she wants it. He is predictable. She is always, always in control.

She doesn't need this anymore.

"Yes," Regina replies as caustically as she can manage. "He is a man. As such, he fulfills my desires in a way you never could."

Maleficent kisses her, anyway, and Regina doesn't stop her. Before she loses track of her thoughts, she's trying to decide whether Maleficent is really pulling out all the stops in order to prove exactly how untrue Regina's statement is, or whether Regina just thinks it feels a thousand times better than ever because she came here trying to end this, even though she knows she doesn't really want to.

She grasps Maleficent's waist and pulls her closer. "God, I hate you," she murmurs against Maleficent's lips.

"I can tell," Maleficent replies with a smile.

With a gust of magic, Regina throws Maleficent across the room and up against the wall. Untended vines spring forth to hold her in place as Regina advances. Maleficent's expression remains aloof and Regina all but snarls as she reaches out to run her hands greedily over Maleficent's body. Before she can even make contact, however, Maleficent disappears, leaving Regina grasping at nothingness.

Regina whirls around, but Maleficent is too quick for her. She catches Regina by the wrists and twists them behind her back, then leans down and kisses her neck almost gently. "I say, Regina," she says silkily, and Regina can feel Maleficent's warm breath on her ear as she speaks, "you're sending a bit of a mixed message."

"Let go of me, you wretched thing!" Regina cries and Maleficent chuckles.

"So you can bind me to the wall of my own home?" Another kiss, this one less gentle. "I don't think so."

Regina tries to twist herself free of Maleficent's grasp by brute force alone, but of course Maleficent anticipates this. Regina finds herself thrown roughly against the wall, entangled by the same vines she summoned moments ago and bound by some kind of spell which won't allow her to pull the same disappearing trick on Maleficent.

The corner of Maleficent's lip twitches. With a flick of her wrist, Regina's clothes fall to the floor. Regina is left bound and completely exposed. She growls at Maleficent, "Twisted indeed!"

Maleficent traces a finger idly down Regina's sternum. "Would you like to hear what I think?"

"I've had an earful."

"Unfortunately for you, that was rhetorical," Maleficent replies sweetly. She runs her hands up and down Regina's sides, then over her breasts. "I think that you genuinely believe you want a man who'll bend to your every whim, but secretly…" she pinches Regina's nipples, already hardening from the chill in the air, between her fingers lightly and Regina inhales just a bit too sharply to go unnoticed, "…secretly, you like the fight." A bit harder now, and Regina tries to twist away from Maleficent's grasp, but this only intensifies the sensation and she cries out involuntarily.

Maleficent smirks and leans in to kiss Regina once more. "More importantly," she continues, raking her nails lightly over Regina's breasts and down her stomach, stopping to grasp her by the hips, "you like it when I win."

"You'll never win!" Regina sneers in response. "I won't let you!"

Maleficent caresses her cheek lightly, then slaps her hard. Regina gasps, but it isn't entirely from the pain. "Bitch!"

"Now, now," says Maleficent with a soft, wet kiss to the cheek she has just slapped, "I think you're forgetting who is at whose mercy."

Maleficent's fingertips find Regina's nipples and pinch them lightly. Regina bites her lip to suppress a moan, realizes what she's done, and quickly tries to resume an affronted expression. But of course Maleficent catches her—this is evident in her self-satisfied smirk.

"My advice to you," she says, gradually increasing the pressure on Regina's nipples, "would be to give in." The pain becomes too much for Regina and she lets out a small whimper. "This is your last chance, after all."

Maleficent lets go, but Regina does not relax. She regains the wherewithal to glare at Maleficent, who blithely ignores her and leans down to kiss the tender nipples she has just harmed. Regina maintains her composure valiantly. She stares straight ahead at the opposing wall even as small jolts of pleasure course through her lower abdomen. Unfortunately for Regina, Maleficent isn't known for playing fair. Maleficent's kisses suddenly grow more intense, and Regina narrowly resists squeezing her eyes closed. Maleficent bites her right nipple lightly and Regina cries out.

Maleficent replaces her mouth with her hands and captures Regina's lips in a triumphant kiss. Regina wants to fight back, but her head is still reeling from the constant back-and-forth of pain and pleasure. Probably encouraged by Regina's apparent compliance, Maleficent's hands glide down Regina's sides and pull Regina's bare hips against the silky fabric of her dress. Unable to control herself, Regina moans into Maleficent's mouth, which elicits a small smile from her tormentor.

One of Maleficent's hands travels back up the length of Regina's body to cup her breast while the other strays a bit lower and moves to the inside of Regina's thigh. Regina squirms, but the vines which bind her arms and ankles only tighten. "Clever trick," she murmurs.

Maleficent chuckles in response and her fingers continue their torturous journey up Regina's inner thigh. The more Regina squirms, the tighter her bonds become—so tight, in fact, that her wrists and ankles begin to hurt and she whimpers. Maleficent's free hand reaches up to stroke Regina's hair. "Hush, my darling," she says sweetly. "The more you resist, the less you can move!"

"Sick, twisted old witch!"

"Ah! But would you not have done the same to me if I'd given you the opportunity?"

"I despise you—ah!"

Maleficent's fingers finally reach the apex of Regina's inner thighs. Certainly the game is over now if it wasn't before. She can spit venom at Maleficent all she likes, but there isn't a thing she can do to disguise the telltale wetness between her legs. "A curious way of expressing hatred," says Maleficent, her amusement ringing in her voice as her fingers give Regina a long, luxurious stroke. Regina closes her eyes in an attempt to regain control of herself, but she reopens them when she realizes Maleficent has stopped touching her.

Maleficent's expression is neutral as usual, but her eyes are sparkling devilishly. She places her fingertips, which are wet and warm and carry with them a very intimate scent, against Regina's lips. Regina shivers.

Maleficent raised her eyebrows. "Go on," she says. Though her voice is quiet, it leaves no room for questions. Regina's quivering lips part and she sucks on Maleficent's fingers. She feels her cheeks flushing and she directs her gaze firmly downward.

When Maleficent relents and pulls her hand away, she kisses Regina once more, almost tenderly. The vines begin to loosen their grip on her, and she all but melts into Maleficent's waiting arms. Maleficent dips her and deepens the kiss, as though it is part of a dance. Regina regains enough control of her limbs to stand, but she leans heavily upon Maleficent for support. She tries clumsily to rid Maleficent of her dress, but Maleficent catches her hands gently. She kisses Regina again, pushing her hands back up against the wall. When Maleficent's mouth relocates to Regina's neck, Regina is unable to suppress a deep moan.

Maleficent trails kisses up the side of Regina's neck and lands just below her ear. "On your knees," she whispers.

Regina feels a thrill run through her entire body. She obeys.

Without waiting for any further instruction—for she's certain Maleficent would be more than happy to give it, Regina lifts the floor-length skirt of Maleficent's dress and begins running her hands up Maleficent's impossibly smooth, slender calves, a private fantasy she has harboured since she first caught sight of those long, lean legs.

Maleficent obliges her by lifting her skirt further, and Regina, whose mind has admittedly grown a bit too fuzzy to care much for propriety, takes the opportunity to run her hands over Maleficent's thighs and to examine the firm muscle which constitutes her shapely backside. Maleficent takes this opportunity to grab a fistful of hair at the base of Regina's neck and pull hard upon it, causing Regina to scream as her head is jerked backward and her back arches reflexively to accommodate it. Regina's fingernails dig into Maleficent's thighs in retribution and Regina is granted the small satisfaction of a sharp intake of breath from Maleficent, as well as another painful yank upon her hair.

Maleficent guides Regina's head between her legs, and Regina gladly places hungry kisses upon Maleficent's swollen pink lips, clutching the backs of her thighs for balance. Maleficent's soft moans are light, airy, and almost tuneful, like distant music. For a few minutes, she releases her grip on Regina's hair and strokes her head lightly, combing her fingers through Regina's hair and sending delicious tingling sensations down Regina's spine.

Regina's tongue hits upon a particularly sensitive spot, and Maleficent clutches Regina's hair with renewed fervor, which only serves to encourage Regina to revisit her tongue's fortuitous mistake many, many times. Maleficent lets out a high-pitched keening sound and her knees and hand begin to shake violently. She rends Regina's head away from her person and stands stiffly for a moment, head thrown back and eyes closed, before she sinks slowly and gracefully to her knees, level with Regina, and pulls her into a deep kiss.

Regina, foolishly believing the danger to have passed, wraps her arms around Maleficent's waist and returns the kiss passionately. Maleficent runs her hands down the sides of Regina's neck, over her shoulders and down her arms. Suddenly she grasps Regina's wrists tightly and forces them behind Regina's back, magically binding them before Regina has even caught her breath.

Maleficent takes a fistful of Regina's hair and pushes her head down onto the cold floor, then she rakes her fingernails over Regina's back and squeezes her backside appreciatively before giving it a firm smack which makes Regina yelp in surprise.

Without any warning, Maleficent thrusts two fingers into Regina at the perfect angle, and Regina cries out again. Still holding Regina's head against the floor, Maleficent gives her three slow thrusts before her rhythm increases tenfold. Regina is alternatively whimpering and screaming. She hears herself begging for mercy, but she knows it is only because she knows Maleficent will not relent.

"Please, oh god, please…"

"Do you want me to stop?" Maleficent snaps coldly.

"No, no, no, please don't stop."

"So very polite."

"Please—ah! Please d-don't stop!"

"So, so very polite for someone who's allowing me to fuck her like a dog."

"Ah!"

Maleficent gives Regina's hair a firm tug. "Tell me something, darling."

"Tell—_oh, God!_-what?"

"Does your precious Huntsman fuck you like this?"

"No!" she whimpers, and the thought causes tears to spring to Regina's eyes. "No, no, no, God, no!" she begins to cry. He wouldn't dare! She wouldn't let him! She'd sooner kill him!

Her certainty only caused her tears to flow more freely. This was the first and the last time she would ever allow someone to have such power over her. And oh, how she would miss it!

"I thought not," Maleficent replies with a particularly skillful flick of her wrist. "Which means you lied to me."

"I'm sorry!" Regina screams without hesitation. "I'm so—_ah!_-sorry, I…I'd never…you…he'd never…"

"I'd say that means you owe me the truth, Regina."

"I—_oh!_—anything! Anything you want!"

Maleficent leans over her, fingers still moving within her, so that she can hold Regina's head down and simultaneously whisper directly into Regina's ear. "Do you suppose, my darling," she says, her voice like silk, "that there's anyone else in this world who will ever have you this way?"

"No," Regina breathes. "No, no one, never…"

Maleficent kisses her cheek gently before sitting up on her knees again. "Do me a favour, darling, and _say it_."

"N-no one but you," Regina murmurs. "No one…"

"A bit louder, if you please, my sweet."

Maleficent achieves another perfect angle with her fingers and Regina screams. "No one but you!" she sobs as her entire body begins to shake with pleasure so intense it is almost painful. "No one else will ever, ever—_ah!_—ever have me the way you do!"

She isn't certain if all of this is intelligible, but it seems to be enough for Maleficent, who obligingly pushes Regina over the edge into a violent orgasm, releases the bonds upon her wrists, and, with surprising ease, picks Regina up under the arms and sets her in her lap, wrapping those long, thin arms around her waist and cradling her as her body quakes with wave after wave of pleasure.

Regina finds after some time that she is still weeping and she doesn't know exactly why anymore. Maleficent never cries. She scarcely ever even breaks that icy calm demeanour of hers, all straight posture and dark charm and impeccable manners even when she's fucking Regina senseless. But she always holds Regina when she cries. She never tells her to stop or to hush. She never tells her everything will be all right, because of course it won't. Every day, Regina feels herself spiraling toward some inevitable ending. She doesn't know how to stop or to turn back because she can't even see where she's headed, only that it will end in misery. And all she really wants is to be happy.

But Maleficent holds her while she cries and kisses her neck and forehead and cheeks and lips and hands until she's calmed down, and then she continues to hold her, Regina supposes, just because she wants to. Regina allows herself to realize that she might possibly need this ever so slightly more than she thought she did.

Regina would never cry in front of the Huntsman. The idea is unthinkable. It makes her ill, and she clutches Maleficent tighter in an attempt to block the thought from her mind. She hates that she cries in front of Maleficent, but, inconceivably, Maleficent does not taunt her about it.

Regina comes to the alarming conclusion that she trusts Maleficent a surprising amount. Maleficent allows Regina to vent about her many sorrows. She does not trivialize them and she does not give away Regina's secrets. Maleficent allows Regina to vent her frustrations. They fight, they argue, they try to hurt one another, try to overpower one another.

Regina fights dirty. She uses every minute weakness she perceives in Maleficent against her in the hopes of one day getting a rise. Maleficent, perhaps only because it is so easy for her to get a rise out of Regina, never says anything truly unforgivable. She knows far more about Regina than Regina knows about her. She knows the things that cause Regina to sob helplessly for hours. And yet, no matter how hard Regina pushes, Maleficent does not break.

It is curious to think of, that Maleficent of all people should be the only person in Regina's life not actively trying to undo her.

And this is why Regina has come here to end this. Such trust can only end in betrayal. Even if Maleficent is not ambitious or even cruel enough to betray Regina for her own purposes, Regina will fight and push and taunt and bait her until she has no choice. The longer she trusts Maleficent, the more she will trust her. The more she trusts her, the more she will start to believe she loves Maleficent when of course that is the sick delusion of a lonely mind. And finally, the more she thinks she loves Maleficent, the more it will shatter the blackened remnants of Regina's heart when Maleficent inevitably betrays her.

Regina is going to end this now, while she still can.

Once she is able to walk, Regina dresses herself and departs without so much as another word to Maleficent, fully intending never to return.

As such, she does not see Maleficent retire to her empty bed, curl herself up into a ball, and weep for hours for the loss of the only remaining person in this world who has given her life any meaning at all.


End file.
